Meet Starfish – the puppy that’s about to inspire you and break your heart at the same time.

The sweet but severely disabled German Shepherd puppy was found dumped in a Heineken beer box on the beach in California. The poor girl was just 10 weeks old. Luckily, she was rescued in time by animal control officer Alaina Onesko.

Suffering from a genetic condition called Swimmer’s Pup Syndrome, she was unable to walk.

Her poor body was splayed out – like a starfish – and completely flat. Even her organs were flat.

While the vet she was brought to recommended immediate euthanasia for the sweet little puppy, who was found helplessly splayed on top of her food dish, a second opinion assured rescuers that her disease was curable.

“One of the technicians had the [euthanasia] needle in her hand and the head of the shelter walked in and said: ‘We’re going to get a second opinion. This is a different story,'” her owner explained in a video posted by The Dodo.

And they were right – Starfish’s story turned out to be a happy one.

After more than one surgical procedure, and two months of rehab, Starfish quite literally was back on her feet. She was then adopted by a young family in the San Francisco Bay area who continued her rehabilitation.

But her story doesn’t end so quickly.

Her family, along with the non-profit Friends of the Alameda Animal Shelter (FAAS), Holistic Veterinary Care and Rehabilitation Center in Oakland, California, and VCA Hospital system are still raising money for Starfish’s medical costs, which are estimated at $10,000.

In response, her owner, Leigh Ann Grey, has started a GoFundMe campaign to help defray the costs to the non-profit and has so far raised nearly $8,000 of the $10,000 goal.

The sweet puppy is not only a survivor, but she has also worked hard towards making a full recovery. After months of hard work, she managed to get her legs under her. Though, she still doesn’t enjoy going for walks all that much (but she loves swimming and playing at the dog park).

While it’s hard to watch footage of Starfish struggle as a puppy, the end result is something that brought many viewers to tears.

“When I first started watching this video I almost changed it so I didn’t have to watch it just broke my heart but watching this little girl struggle and fight it just made my heart happy. I’m proud of the people at the shelter and I’m damn proud of that little hound dog,” said one commenter.

Starfish’s story has touched many hearts, and in just a few days over 22 million people have viewed her video on The Dodo’s Facebook page. Impressive for a story that was originally posted in 2018 and received tens of millions of views back then as well!

Starfish is doing great these days after a few more hip surgeries. She was even reunited with the animal control officer who found her!

You can still contribute to her medical fund and know that any extra money will go to the FAAS Angel Fund, the not-for-profit shelter’s emergency medical fund for sick and injured homeless animals.

We’re so glad that a compassionate human found Starfish and that the shelter knew enough to continue saving her life and find her a loving forever home.

Be sure to scroll down below to see Starfish in action!

You can also see another video of Starfish’s long but successful road to recovery by clicking here.

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

Source: The Dodo via Facebook, GoFundMe, Friends of the Alameda Animal Shelter (FAAS) via YouTube